How ISIS radicalised Bangladeshi expat labourers in Malaysia to recruit terrorists, fund group in Syria

Malaysian security forces have cracked down on an Islamic State module comprising Bangladeshi nationals working in the Southeast Asian nation, said officials.

The Islamic State module recruited members from the Bangladeshi expatriate community through social media and messenger apps like WhatsApp and Telegram where extremist ideologies are shared to radicalise them, according to Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Mohd Khalid Ismail.

They also raised money through international bank transfer services and e-wallets to fund the ISIS in Bangladesh and Syria. Though the exact amount of the funds raised has not been revealed, the official said they collected RM500 from each person as annual membership fee.

Muslim-majority Malaysia is one of the preferred destinations for Bangladeshis who travel abroad for work, most of whom are labourers in plantations and construction sites. IGP Ismail said no Malaysians were found to be involved in the ISIS network, clarifying that Malaysia was not a target for the group and was merely used as a place for recruitment and funding.

Since April, the authorities have nabbed 36 Bangladeshis, aged between 25 and 35, who were working in factories, construction sites and service sector. On April 28, six people were detained in Selangor, followed by arrests of 14 in Johor on May 7. Between June 19 and 21, 16 more were arrested from various places.

Five of them were slapped with charges of being members of a terror outfit while 15 others who had minimal involvement will be deported to Bangladesh. The remaining 16 workers are still under investigation and more people could be arrested, according to the inspector general. As much as 150 people, mostly Bangladeshis, are suspected to be part of the module.

World